Method, system, and apparatus for detaching and collecting an ic tag from a paper sheet to which it is attached

ABSTRACT

In order to efficiently detach and collect an IC tag ( 1 ) from a paper sheet ( 2 ) to which the IC tag ( 1 ) is attached, the IC tag ( 1 ) is detached from the paper sheet ( 2 ) by applying external force to the adhesive surface between the paper sheet ( 2 ) and the IC tag ( 1 ) (detachment step). Next, the detached IC tag ( 1 ) is fractionated from other substances (fractionation step).

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a divisional U.S. Patent of application Ser.No. 10/533,581 filed on May 3, 2005, which is based on InternationalApplication No. PCT/JP2004/00478, filed on Jan. 21, 2004, which in turnis a corresponds to JP 2003-013367 filed on Jan. 22, 2003, and priorityis hereby claimed under 35 USC § 119 based on these applications. Eachof these applications are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentireties into the present application.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to a technique for reusing ICtags used in the fields of physical distribution, etc., and moreparticularly to a method, system, and apparatus for detaching andcollecting an IC tag from a paper sheet to which it is attached.

BACKGROUND ART

An IC tag, in which an IC chip and an antenna are interposed between twothin sheets, has recently been used as a medium for storing information.The IC tag has many advantages. For example, much information can bestored in the IC tag and information can be read out from the IC tagwithout contacting it. Thanks to these advantages, the IC tag is widelyutilized in commodity management, physical distribution management, etc.

When using an IC tag in commodity management, physical distributionmanagement, etc., it is normally attached to a commodity to be managedby an adhesive such as paste, double-coated tape, etc., wherebyinformation stored in the IC tag is tied to the commodity. Because ofthis, if an IC tag is detached and it is attached to another commodity,the corresponding relationship between a commodity and information willbe impaired. Hence, for example, in a technique disclosed in JapaneseLaid-Open Patent Publication No. 2001-167240, when an IC tag attachedonce to a commodity is detached, it is destroyed so that thecorresponding relationship between a commodity and information is notimpaired.

In the above-described conventional technique, an IC tag is used onlyonce and then it is thrown away. However, an IC tag can be used manytimes if it is rewritten from old information to new information, so itis wasteful to discard it without reusing. One IC tag is cheap, but if agreat number of IC tags are used and all are discarded, the cost cannotbe ignored. Because of this, depending on users, there is a demand forcollecting and reusing IC tags used in order to reduce costs.

In order to collect an IC tag, it must be detached from a commodity towhich it is attached. In most cases, an IC tag is attached to not acommodity itself but the packing paper or corrugated cardboard box, or apaper sheet such as a mount. The operation of detaching an IC tag from apaper sheet is performed by hand, and it is forcibly separated from theadhesive surface of a paper sheet. As in the above-described prior art,in the case where an IC will be damaged if it is separated by force, itis necessary to detach it so that it is not damaged.

In the case where IC tags are detached and collected by hand, asdescribed above, there is a limit to the number of tags to be processedper person. Therefore, if the number of IC tags to be processed isincreased, the number of persons increases accordingly. However, anincrease in the number of persons increases lobar cost and oftencounterbalances the advantage of cost reduction to be obtained bycollecting and reusing IC tags. For that reason, users who desire tocollect and reuse IC tags require a method of efficiently detaching andcollecting IC tags from a large quantity of paper sheets to which theyare attached.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been made in view of the circumstancesdescribed above. Accordingly, it is the primary object of the presentinvention to provide a method, system, and apparatus that are capable ofefficiently detaching and collecting IC tags from a large quantity ofpaper sheets to which the IC tags are attached.

To achieve this end, there is provided a method of detaching andcollecting an IC tag from a paper sheet to which the IC tag is attached.The method includes a detachment step of detaching the IC tag from thepaper sheet by applying external force to an adhesive surface betweenthe paper sheet and the IC tag, and a fractionation step offractionating the detached IC tag from other substances.

In the aforementioned detachment step, the paper sheet may be immersedin an immersion liquid and external force may be applied to the adhesivesurface by a flow of the immersion liquid.

The method of the present invention may further include a fragmentationstep of immersing in an immersion liquid the paper sheet from which theIC tag was detached in the detachment step, and disintegrating(decomposing) or fragmenting the paper sheet into paper components by aflow of the immersion liquid and dispersing the paper components in theimmersion liquid. The fragmentation step may be followed by thefractionation step.

In the aforementioned fractionation step, a suspension in which thepaper components are dispersed by the flow of the immersion liquid maybe passed through a screen.

In the method of the present invention, a pattern of direction and/orstrength of the aforementioned flow may be changed. The flow may be aswirl flow moving in a vertical direction within a container, a swirlflow moving in a horizontal direction within a container, or a compositeflow of these swirl flows. The direction of the aforementioned flow canbe changed by switching between directions of positive and reverserotations.

The method of the present invention may further include a cleaning stepof cleaning the IC tag detached from the paper sheet to remove paperand/or an adhesive adhering to the IC tag.

The method of the present invention may further include a preparationstep of swelling the paper sheet by causing the paper sheet to hold aswelling liquid in which paper and/or an adhesive is soluble. Thepreparation step may be followed by the detachment step.

In the aforementioned preparation step and/or cleaning step, theadhesive adhering to the IC tag may be disintegrated by an enzyme.

In the aforementioned fractionation step, the IC tag may be removed andcollected from the suspension in which the paper components of the papersheet are dispersed.

In the method of the present invention, the suspension may be put in acontainer, the IC tag in the suspension may be caused to sink to abottom of the container, and by supplying a liquid flow containing smallbubbles into the container, the bubbles may be caused to adhere to thepaper components to float them up to a liquid surface of the container.

In the method of the present invention, heat may be applied to theimmersion liquid and/or the swelling liquid.

In the method of the present invention, a plurality of IC tags may besuccessively processed as one bundle in each of the steps.

After collection of the IC tag in the aforementioned fractionation step,a liquid may be squeezed from the suspension and a residual substance ofthe suspension from which the liquid is squeezed may be used as papermaterial.

In the method of the present invention, the same liquid may be employedin each of the steps, and after collection of the IC tag in thefractionation step, a liquid may be squeezed from the suspension and thesqueezed liquid may be reused in each of the steps.

To achieve the aforementioned object of the present invention, there isprovided a system for detaching and collecting an IC tag from a papersheet to which the IC tag is attached. The system includes a unit forswelling the paper sheet by causing the paper sheet to hold a swellingliquid in which paper and/or an adhesive is soluble, a detacher fordetaching the IC tag from the paper sheet by applying external force toan adhesive surface between the swollen paper sheet and the IC tag, anda fractionator for fractionating the detached IC tag from othersubstances.

The system may further include a cleaner for cleaning the IC tagdetached from the paper sheet to remove paper and/or an adhesiveadhering to the IC tag.

To achieve the aforementioned object of the present invention, there isprovided an apparatus for detaching and collecting an IC tag from apaper sheet to which the IC tag is attached. The apparatus includes adetaching container for storing a liquid; a solid type screen, which isprovided within the detaching container and functions as a filter, forholding the paper sheet to which the IC tag is attached; an agitator forgenerating a flow of the liquid within the detaching container byagitating the liquid; and discharge ports, formed in side and/or bottomsurfaces of the detaching container, for discharging paper components,passed through the solid type screen, of the paper components of thepaper sheet fragmented within the solid type screen by the flowgenerated by the agitator.

The apparatus may further include a paper-component processing containerfor holding a suspension that contains paper components passed throughthe solid type screen, and separating the suspension into the papercomponents and a liquid; a suspension flow path for supplying thesuspension from the discharge ports of the detaching container to thepaper-component processing container; a return flow path for returningto the detaching container the liquid separated by the paper-componentprocessing container; and a pump for circulating the liquid between thedetaching container and the paper-component processing container,through the suspension flow path and the return flow path.

In the apparatus of the present invention, the aforementioned agitatormay be equipped with an impeller and a drive unit for driving theimpeller.

In the apparatus of the present invention, the agitator may operatebetween a first operating state in which a swirl flow of the liquid isgenerated within the detaching container in a direction of positiverotation and a second operating state in which the swirl flow isgenerated in a direction of reverse rotation. When agitating the liquid,the first operating state and the second operating state may be switchedin predetermined cycles.

When switching the agitator between the first and second operatingstates, the agitator may be stopped for a predetermined time.

According to the tag detachment-collection method of the presentinvention described above, an IC tag can be efficiently detached andcollected from a paper sheet.

According to the tag detachment-collection system of the presentinvention described above, a paper sheet is caused to hold a liquid inwhich paper and/or an adhesive is soluble, whereby the IC tag and thepaper sheet become easy to detach. In this state, if external force isapplied to the adhesive surface between the IC tag and the paper sheet,the IC tag can be readily detached from the paper sheet. Thus, it ispossible to detach and collect the IC tag from the paper sheetefficiently.

According to the tag detachment-collection apparatus of the presentinvention described above, the IC tag is detached from the paper sheetwithin the solid type screen by a water flow generated by the agitator.The paper components of the paper sheet fragmented are passed throughthe solid type screen and are discharged from the detaching containerthrough the discharge ports. In this way, the paper sheet and the IC tagcan be reliably and efficiently detached.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be described in further detail with referenceto the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a processing flow diagram showing a tag detachment-collectionmethod in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a system for carrying out the tagdetachment-collection method shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is sectional side view schematically showing a tagdetachment-collection apparatus constructed in accordance with a secondembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an undetached IC tag used in thesecond embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing the discharge ports of the tagdetachment-collection apparatus constructed in accordance with thesecond embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining swirl flows generated within thedetaching container in the direction of positive rotation by theagitator;

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining swirl flows generated within thedetaching container in the direction of reverse rotation by theagitator;

FIG. 8 is a processing flow diagram showing the tagdetachment-collection method of the second embodiment; and

FIG. 9 is a timing diagram showing how the agitator of the tagdetachment-collection apparatus is operated.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter be described indetail with reference to the drawings.

First Embodiment

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a method of detaching and collectingan IC tag in accordance with a first embodiment of the presentinvention. As shown in the figure, an IC tag 1 adhering to amount (papersheet) 2 is collected. The IC tag 1 adhering to the mount 2 willhereinafter be referred to as an undetached IC tag 3. In this embodimentand a second embodiment that is to be described later, an adhesive forcausing the IC tag 1 to adhere to the mount 2 employs starch paste.However, this adhesive may be chemical paste. The form of an adhesivemay be any form if it can make the IC tag 1 adhere to the mount 2. Forinstance, it may be adhesive tape such as double-coated tape, etc.

The undetached IC tag 3 is first transferred to a first step(preparation step). In the first step, the undetached IC tag 3 isimmersed in water. Since this embodiment uses starch paste as anadhesive for causing the IC tag 1 to adhere to the mount 2, an enzyme todecompose paste is added to water and the temperature of water is set toa temperature (e.g., 5 to 90° C., preferably 40 to 60° C.) at which anenzyme can decompose paste easily. The type of enzyme is determined,depending on the type of adhesive used. For example, in the case wherean adhesive is starch paste, amylase can be employed. Also, thetemperature of water is set in a temperature range where the decomposingability of an enzyme is most activated, depending on the type of enzymeused.

Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown a system to carry out the tagdetachment-collection method shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, thetag detachment-collection system of the first embodiment is made up of aswelling unit 10, a detacher 13, a fractionator 16, and a solid-liquidseparator 19. The swelling unit 10, the detacher 13, the fractionator16, and the solid-liquid separator 19 perform the steps shown in FIG. 1,respectively. The aforementioned first step is executed by the swellingunit 10.

The swelling unit 10 is equipped with a mender-shaped flow path 11,which is sloped so that water can flow slowly. Warm water containing anenzyme is continuously supplied to the most upstream portion of the flowpath 11. The undetached IC tag 3 is transferred to the most upstreamportion of the flow path 11 by a conveyer 12 and flows slowly throughthe flow path 11 along with warm water supplied. When the undetached ICtag is flowing through the flow path 11, the mount 2 holds water andswells. If water percolates up to the pasted surface (adhesive surface)between the IC tag 1 and the mount 2, the paste on the pasted surface isgradually dissolved in water and is decomposed by an enzyme contained inthat water. The time during which the undetached IC tag 3 passes throughthe flow path 11, that is, the processing time in the first step is setin consideration of the time from when water percolates up to the mount2 to when an enzyme acts on the pasted surface between the IC tag 1 andthe mount 2.

If the processing at the first step finishes, the undetached IC tag 3 istransferred to a second step (detachment step). The adhesive forcebetween the IC tag 1 and the mount 2 is made very weaker in the firststep, so it becomes easy to detach the IC tag 1 from the mount 2. In thesecond step, external force is applied to the pasted surface to detachthe IC tag 1 from the mount 2. External force to be applied does notnecessarily need to be a great force. Since the adhesive force betweenthe IC tag 1 and the mount 2 has already been made sufficiently weak,even a weak force can easily detach the IC tag 1 from the mount 2 ifprocessing is slowly performed over a long time. In the system shown inFIG. 2, the second step is executed by the detacher 13.

The detacher 13 is equipped with a second flow path 14, which is coupledto the exit of the first flow path 11 of the swelling unit 10. Theaforementioned warm water flows from the first flow path 11 into thesecond flow path 14, along with the undetached IC tag 3. The second flowpath 14 is provided with a jet unit 15, which is used to produce a jetcontaining bubbles. If a jet is sent out into a stream of water, theundetached IC tag 3 flowing along the second flow path 14 is agitated.If it is agitated, external force acts on the pasted surface between theIC tag 1 and the mount 2. The external force to act on the pastedsurface is very weak, but since the adhesive force of the paste is madeweak by the dissolution of the paste into water and the decompositioneffect of an enzyme, the IC tag 1 is slowly detached from the mount 2 bythat weak external force. The paste remaining on the detached IC tag 1is decomposed by the action of an enzyme in warm water and is washedclean, and the mount 2 is gradually decomposed (disintegrated) into itsfiber-shaped components by the solvent action of water relative to paperand the force of a jet.

If the processing at the second step finishes, the detached IC tag 1 andmount 2 are transferred to a third step (fractionation step). At thisstage, the mount 2 has already been decomposed into its fiber-shapedcomponents and dispersed in water, and the IC tag 1 has sunk under asuspension in which paper components are dispersed. In the third step,the IC tag 1 in the suspension is fractionated from other substances andis collected. In the system shown in FIG. 2, the third step is performedby the fractionator 16.

The fractionator 16 is equipped with a fractionation tank 17 providednear the exit of the second flow path 14. The suspension from the secondflow path 14 is thrown into the fractionation tank 17 along with the ICtag 1. The bottom portion of the fractionation tank 17 is provided witha second jet unit 18, which is used to jet a stream of water thatcontains small bubbles. Small bubbles are produced from the bottomportion of the fractionation tank 17 toward the liquid surface. Thedifference in specific gravity between water and IC tag 1 causes the ICtag to sink to the bottom of the fractionation tank 17. On the otherhand, the paper components in a suspension are typically dispersedwithin the fractionation tank 17 because a difference in specificgravity with water is small. However, bubbles produced from the bottomportion of the fractionation tank 17 adhere to paper components, so theybecome lighter in weight than water and float up to the liquid surfaceof the fractionation tank 17. Thus, the paper components and IC tag 1are fractionated at the top and bottom of the fractionation tank 17.Therefore, the IC tag 1 can be collected from the bottom portion of thefractionation tank 17. In addition, if water overflowing thefractionation tank 17 is collected, a suspension containing paper ofhigh concentration can be obtained.

If the processing at the third step finishes, the collected IC tag 1 isdried and reused. As previously described, the paste on the surface ofthe IC tag 1 is cleanly decomposed by an enzyme, so the collected IC tag1 can be quickly reused. On the other hand, the suspension istransferred to a fourth step (water-squeezing step). In the fourth step,water is squeezed from the suspension and the remaining solid componentsare reused as paper material. The water squeezed from the suspension istransferred to the first step and is reused. Thus, the tagdetachment-collection method of the present invention is capable ofavoiding waste of resources by reusing substances other than IC tags. Inaddition, even in the case where squeezed water is discarded, influenceon environment can be minimized, because an enzyme is used fordecomposing paste. In the system shown in FIG. 2, the fourth step iscarried out by the solid-liquid separator 19.

The solid-liquid separator 19 is used to separate solids and a liquid.More particularly, the separator 19 can employ a drum filter, a screwpress, etc. The suspension containing paper of high concentration,collected from the fractionation tank 17, is thrown into thesolid-liquid separator 19, in which water is squeezed from thesuspension. Because the remaining solid components are paper components(paper fibers) into which the mount 2 is decomposed (disintegrated),they are handled as paper material (wet pulp). On the other hand, thesqueezed water is returned to the swelling unit 10, in which it isreused as water for swelling the mount 2.

Thus, according to the tag detachment-collection method and tagdetachment-collection system of the first embodiment, the IC tag 1 canbe efficiently detached from the mount 2 by processes of two stages, astatic process at the first step and a dynamic process at the secondstep. In addition, the IC tag 1 can be detached from the mount 2 quitenaturally, not forcibly. Therefore, there is no possibility that even inthe case where the IC tag 1 has easy-to-destroy structure, it will bedestroyed. Moreover, since the paste on the surface of the IC tag 1 isdecomposed by an enzyme, a step of removing paste can be saved and theIC tag 1 can be quickly reused. Furthermore, the mount 2 is collected aspaper material and water is returned to the first step, so waste ofresources other than the IC tag 1 can be avoided.

Second Embodiment

Referring now to FIG. 3 to 9, there are shown a tagdetachment-collection apparatus and a tag detachment-collection methodin accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is sectional side view schematically showing a tagdetachment-collection apparatus constructed in accordance with a secondembodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a schematic diagramshowing an undetached IC tag used in the second embodiment of thepresent invention, FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing thedischarge ports of the tag detachment-collection apparatus constructedin accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG.6 is a diagram for explaining swirl flows generated within the detachingcontainer in the direction of positive rotation by the agitator, FIG. 7is a diagram for explaining swirl flows generated within the detachingcontainer in the direction of reverse rotation by the agitator, FIG. 8is a processing flow diagram showing the tag detachment-collectionmethod of the second embodiment, and FIG. 9 is a timing diagram showinghow the agitator of the tag detachment-collection apparatus is operated.

As shown in FIG. 3, the tag detachment-collection apparatus includes adetacher 50 and a solid-liquid separator 80. The detacher 50 consists ofa detaching container 20, a solid type screen 30, and an agitator 40.The solid-liquid separator 80 consists of a paper-component processingcontainer 60, a suspension flow path 70, a return flow path 71, and acirculating pump 72.

The detaching container 20 of the detacher 50 holds liquid such as waterand also stores an undetached IC tag 3 (which is an IC tag 1 pasted to amount (paper sheet) 2) shown in FIG. 4. Note that the IC tag 1 is formedby sealing off an antenna 1 b connected to an IC chip or tag 1 a withina resin film such as PET.

The detaching container 20 is made up of an upper layer portion formedin cylindrical form, and a lower layer portion having an inclinedsurface that connects the side surface of the upper portion with thebottom surface of the detaching container 20. The detaching container 20is installed on a pedestal 24.

As shown in FIG. 5, the detaching container 20 is further provided withdischarge ports 21, 22, and 23 through which substances (a suspension inwhich paper components are dispersed, etc.) passed through the solidtype screen 30 are discharged from the detaching container 20. Thedischarge port 21 is provided at the bottom of the detaching container20, and the discharge ports 22, 23 are provided at the side surface ofthe upper portion of the detaching container 20. The intermediatedischarge port 23 is used to discharge the above-described substancesfrom the side surface the detaching container 20, and extends verticallyalong the side surface the detaching container 20 in order to reliablydischarge the above-described substances from that side surface. Theupper discharge port 22 is provided at the water-level position of theabove-described liquid in the upper layer portion of the detachingcontainer 20 and is constructed so that the aforementioned substancessuspended in the aforementioned liquid are discharged from the detachingcontainer 20.

The solid type screen 30 is arranged within the detaching container 20and holds the IC tag 1 and mount 2 (undetached paper sheet 3) within thedetaching container 20 so that they are not moved into the gap betweenthe detaching container 20 and the solid type screen 30. The solid typescreen 30 also functions as a filter that allows only solid particles ofpredetermined sizes to pass through it. The solid type screen 30 isconstructed of a wire net and is formed into a cylindrical cage. Thesolid type screen 30 is arranged so that a gap of a predetermined sizeis formed between it and the wall surface of the detaching container 20.

The agitator 40 is used to generate a flow of water within the detachingcontainer 20 by agitating the liquid within the detaching container 20.The agitator 40 is equipped with an impeller 41 for producing a flow ofwater by rotating, a shaft 42 for transmitting turning force to theimpeller 41, a packing 43 interposed between the shaft 42 penetratingthe bottom portion of the detaching container 20 and the center hole ofthe detaching container 20, and a driving-force transmitting member 44,mounted on the shaft 42 and connected to a drive unit such as a drivemotor (not shown), for rotating the shaft 42. Note that the drive unitis connected with a controller (not shown) for controlling rotation ofthe impeller 41. And the agitator 40 is constructed so it can rotate theimpeller 41 in both directions of positive rotation and reverserotation.

Furthermore, the impeller 41 of the agitator 40 is provided on thecenter axis of the bottom surface of the detaching container 20 and nearthe solid type screen 30. Of course, the impeller 41 is arranged at aposition a predetermined distance away from the bottom surface of thedetaching container 20 without contacting the solid type screen 30.

As shown in FIG. 6, if the impeller 41 of the agitator 40 is rotated inthe direction of positive rotation, swirl flows (swirl flows in thedirection of positive rotation) in which the center portion of thedetaching container 20 moves upward are generated within the detachingcontainer 20 (first operating state). Also, as shown in FIG. 7, if theimpeller 41 of the agitator 40 is rotated in the direction of reverserotation, swirl flows (swirl flows in the direction of reverse rotation)in which the center portion of the detaching container 20 moves downwardare generated within the detaching container 20 (second operatingstate).

Note that the swirl flows in the directions of positive and reverserotations contain the swirl components of the swirl flows generated inthe direction of the rotation of the impeller 41. That is, a compositeswirl flow, containing vertical swirl flows and horizontal swirl flows,is formed. The swirl flows in the directions of position and reverserotations can be generated reliably and more strongly, because theimpeller 41 is installed at the position a predetermined distance awayfrom the bottom surface of the detaching container 20 and the lowerlayer portion of the detaching container 20 has an inclined surface.

The paper-component processing container 60 of the solid-liquidseparator 80 holds the suspension in which the paper components of themount 2 passed through the solid type screen 30 are dispersed, and isused to separate this suspension into paper components and a liquid. Thepaper-component processing container 60 is divided into two or morelayers. In this embodiment, it consists of two layers, an upper layerportion 61 and a lower layer portion 62. The upper layer portion 61 isequipped with a collecting filter 63 for filtering the suspension tocollect paper components and allowing only a liquid (water) to pass tothe lower layer portion 62. The paper-component processing container 60is installed on a pedestal 64.

The suspension flow path 70 of the solid-liquid separator 80 isconnected to the discharge ports 21, 22, and 23 of the detachingcontainer 20 to supply the suspension to the paper-component processingcontainer 60. The suspension flow path 70 is also connected to the topsurface of the paper-component processing container 60 in order tosupply the suspension from the uppermost portion of the paper-componentprocessing container 60.

The return flow path 71 of the solid-liquid separator 80 is a flow pathfor returning to the detaching container 20 the liquid in which papercomponents are removed by the paper-component processing container 60.Therefore, it is connected to the bottom surface of the paper-componentprocessing container 60 and to the top and side surfaces of thedetaching container 20.

The circulating pump 72 of the solid-liquid separator 80 is used tocirculate a liquid (water) between the detaching container 20 and thepaper-component processing container 60, through the suspension flowpath 70 and return flow path 71.

In FIG. 3, each of the arrows on the supply passage 70 indicates adirection in which a liquid flows through the supply passage 70.Although shown by a solid line, the return flow path 71 consists mainlyof pipes and valves, as with the supply passage 70.

A description will hereinafter be given of how an IC tag 1 pasted(attached) to a paper sheet 2 is detached and collected by the tagdetachment-collection method of the second embodiment. As shown in FIG.8, in the tag detachment-collection method of the second embodiment, apreparation step is first performed. In this preparation step, bystoring water and an enzyme in the detaching container 20, holding agreat number of undetached IC tags 3 (e.g., a few hundred sheets to afew thousand sheets) within the solid type screen 30, and immersing theundetached IC tags 3 into a liquid (swelling liquid) containing theaforementioned water and enzyme for a predetermined time, the undetachedIC tags 3 are swollen with the swelling liquid to make it easier todetach the IC tag 1 from the mount 2. The time during which theundetached IC tag 3 is immersed in the swelling liquid is determined inconsideration of the time from when the swelling liquid percolates up tothe mount 2 to when an enzyme acts on the pasted surface (adhesivesurface) between the IC tag 1 and the mount 2. The temperature of wateris set to a temperature (e.g., 5 to 90° C., preferably 40 to 60° C.) atwhich an enzyme can easily act on paste. The type of enzyme isdetermined, depending on the type of adhesive used.

If the preparation step finishes, a detachment step is performed. In thedetachment step, the agitator 40 generates swirl flows by agitating theswelling liquid held in the detaching container 20. These swirl flowscause external force to act on the pasted surface (adhesive surface)between the IC tag 1 and the mount 2. As a result, the IC tag 1 isdetached from the mount 2.

And if, within the solid type screen 30 arranged within the detachingcontainer 20, the aforementioned swirl flows further act on the mount 2from which the IC tag 1 is detached in the detachment step, afragmentation step is performed. In the fragmentation step, the mount 2is disintegrated and fragmented and the paper components are dispersedin a liquid.

Only the liquid in which the aforementioned paper components aredispersed (hereinafter referred to as a suspension) is passed throughthe solid type screen 30 by the aforementioned swirl flows and isdischarged out of the detaching container 20 through the discharge ports21, 22, and 23. In this way, the IC tag 1 within the solid type screen30 is fractionated from the suspension (fractionation step).

Thus, in the tag detachment-collection method of the second embodiment,the detachment step, fragmentation step, and fractionation step areperformed in sequence for each of the undetached IC tags 3 held in thesolid-type screen 30. That is, each of these steps is performed for eachof the IC tags 3. Therefore, within the detaching container 20, thereare cases where while an undetached IC tag 3 is being processed in thefractionation step, other undetached IC tags 3 are being processed inthe detachment or fragmentation step. Within the detaching container 20,the above-described steps are performed in sequence on each of theundetached IC tag 3.

If the fractionation step finishes, a cleaning step is performed. In thecleaning step, paper or paste, which remains attached to the IC tag 1detached within the solid type screen 30 from the mount 2 by theaforementioned swirl flows, is removed from the IC tag 1. The cleaningstep may be performed for each of the undetached IC tags 3, as with theaforementioned detachment step, fragmentation step, and fractionationstep, or it may be performed after the fractionation step is performedon all of the undetached IC tags 3 held in the solid type screen 30.

If the processing at the cleaning step finishes, the collected IC tag 1is dried and reused. Because the IC tag 1 is cleanly washed by an enzymein the cleaning step, therefore the collected IC tag 1 can be quicklyreused.

On the other hand, the suspension discharged from the discharge ports21, 22, and 23 is processed in a solid-liquid separation step. In thissolid-liquid separation step, the suspension discharged from thedischarge ports 21, 22, and 23 is supplied to the upper layer portion 61of the paper-component processing container 60 through the suspensionflow path 70 of the solid-liquid separator 80. If the suspension ispassed through the collecting filter 63, paper components in thesuspension are filtered and only water passes to the lower layer portion62. In this way, the solid-liquid separation step is performed.

The water obtained in the solid-liquid separation step is returned tothe detaching container 20 through the return flow path 71. That is, inthe detachment-collection apparatus of the second embodiment, water iscirculated between the detacher 50 and the solid-liquid separator 80. Onthe other hand, the paper components in the suspension collected by thecollecting filter 63 are collected from the collecting filter 63 and arereused.

If swirl flows in the direction of positive rotation (see FIG. 6) aregenerated within the detaching container 20 for a certain fixed time byrotating the impeller 41 of the agitator 40 in the direction of positiverotation, IC tags 1 and mounts 2 or undetached IC tags 3 (hereinafterreferred to simply as IC tags and paper sheets when IC tags 1 and mounts2 are not discriminated from undetached IC tags 3) will be pressedagainst the side surface of the solid type screen 30. Similarly, ifswirl flows in the direction of reverse rotation (see FIG. 7) aregenerated within the detaching container 20 for a certain fixed time byrotating the impeller 41 of the agitator 40 in the direction of reverserotation, IC tags 1 and mounts 2 or undetached IC tags 3 will be pressedagainst the side surface of the solid type screen 30.

Thus, if IC tags and paper sheets are pressed against the side surfaceor bottom surface (hereinafter referred to simply as the wall surfacewhen the side surface is not discriminated from the bottom surface) ofthe solid type screen 30, the filtering function of the solid typescreen 30 will be considerably reduced. In addition, it becomesdifficult to apply the external force, produced by the aforementionedswirl flows, to the IC tags and paper sheets pressed against the wallsurface. Therefore, the processing at each of the detachment,fragmentation, and fractionation steps is not efficiently performed.Moreover, there is a possibility that the IC chip 1 a or antenna 1 b ofthe IC tag 1 will be destroyed by a shock produced when IC tags 1 orundetached IC tags 3 are pressed against the wall surface of thesolid-type screen 30.

Hence, in the tag detachment-collection method of the second embodiment,the agitator 40 is operated as shown in FIG. 9 in order to switch theaforementioned swirl flow between the directions of positive and reverserotations. That is, the first operating state (positive rotation) andsecond operating state (reverse rotation) are switched in order to solvethe above-described problems and thereby perform the detachment,fragmentation, and fractionation steps efficiently.

As shown in FIG. 9, in the detachment, fragmentation, fractionation, andcleaning steps, the tag detachment-collection method of the secondembodiment controls rotation of the agitator 40 (i.e., impeller 41) sothat one cycle of positive rotation (TF), stop (TS), reverse rotation(TB), and stop (TS) is continuously performed. The positive-rotationoperating period TF is segmented into periods T1, T2, and T3, and eachperiod varies in torque and number of rotations. That is, thepositive-rotation torque of the impeller 41 increases up to VRF1 for theperiod T1, then decreases down to VRF2 for the period T2, and finallyincreases up to VRF3 for the period T3 (VRF2<VRF3<VRF1). Note that inthe reverse-rotation operating period TB, the reverse-rotation torque ofthe impeller 41 increases up to VRB.

Therefore, within the detaching container 20, swirl flows in thedirection of positive rotation where the water in the central portion ofthe detaching container 20 moves upward (see FIG. 6) are generated forthe positive-rotation operating period TF in the detachment,fragmentation, fractionation, and cleaning steps (first operatingstate), and the operating pattern (torque and number of rotations) ischanged for periods T1 to T3. Therefore, during the positive-rotationoperating period TF, swirl flows are generated in random directions ofpositive rotation. Next, in the stop period TS, the operation of theagitator 40 is stopped. After the swirl flows in the direction ofpositive rotation within the detaching container 20 becomes weak to somedegree, the rotation direction of the impeller 41 is switched frompositive rotation to reverse rotation during the reverse-rotationoperating period TB. Therefore, within the detaching container 20, swirlflows in the direction of reverse rotation where the water in thecentral portion of the detaching container 20 moves downward (see FIG.7) are generated (second operating state). That is, the operation of theagitator 40 is switched from the first operating state to the secondoperating state, whereby the direction of the swirl flows within thedetaching container 20 is switched from the direction of positiverotation to the direction of reverse rotation. In addition, the stopperiod TS is provided after the reverse-rotation operating period TB, sothe swirl flows in the direction of reverse direction becomes weak tosome degree. And during the positive-rotation operating period TF of thenext cycle, the direction of the swirl flows within the detachingcontainer 20 is switched from the direction of reverse rotation to thedirection of positive rotation.

Thus, a pattern of direction and strength of the swirl flows within thedetaching container 20 is frequently changed, so IC tags and papersheets are constantly moved without being stopped within the solid typescreen 30. Therefore, IC tags and paper sheets are prevented from beingpressed against the wall surface of the solid type screen 30. Inaddition, since the aforementioned swirl flows are not uniform indirection, external forces of various directions and strengths areapplied to IC tags and paper sheets. As a result, the effect ofdetaching the IC tag 1 in the detachment step, the effect of fragmentingthe mount 2 in the fragmentation step, the fractionating effect in thefractionation step, and the effect of cleaning the IC tag 1 in thecleaning step are respectively enhanced and these steps are efficientlyperformed.

Even when IC tags and paper sheets are pressed against the wall surfaceof the solid type screen 30, the agitator 40 is stopped during the stopperiod TS and the swirl flows within the detaching container 20 are madeweak, so that the IC tags and paper sheets are removed from the wallsurface. In addition, the rotation direction of the swirl flow isswitched between positive and reverse rotations, so IC tags and papersheets are more reliably prevented from being pressed against the wallsurface of the solid type screen 30.

When switching the swirl flow within the detaching container 20 betweenthe directions of positive and reverse rotations (when switching theoperation of the agitator 40 between the first and second operatingstates), composite water flows are generated. Thanks to these compositewater flows, the aforementioned effects in the detachment,fragmentation, fractionation, and cleaning steps are further enhanced.

Thus, according to the tag detachment-collection method and apparatus ofthe second embodiment, the same advantages as the first embodiment canbe obtained.

In addition, in the second embodiment, a plurality of undetached IC tags3 are processed as a bundle within the solid type screen 30 in the stepsfrom preparation to cleaning (particularly, the steps from detachment tofractionation), so the IC tags 1 pasted (adhered) to the mounts 2 can beefficiently detached and collected. That is, in the second embodiment,within one container the steps from detachment to fractionation areperformed in sequence for each of the undetached IC tags 3, so each stepis performed in parallel on the undetached IC tags 3. Particularly, thesteps from detachment to fractionation can be efficiently performed.

In the second embodiment, the operation of the agitator 40 is switchedbetween the first and second operating states, whereby the pattern ofswirl flows generated within the detaching container 20 is changed.Particularly, the direction of swirl flows is switched between positiverotation and reverse rotation, so IC tags and paper sheets are preventedfrom being pressed against the solid type screen 30 and the processingeffect in each step can be enhanced.

In the second embodiment, swirl flows are also generated in the rotationdirections of the impeller 41 of the agitator 40, whereby the processingin each step can be more reliably performed.

The bubbles produced within the detaching container 20 by the agitator40 adhere to paper components contained in a suspension, whereby thesepaper components are suspended in the upper layer portion of thedetaching container 20. In the second embodiment, the upper layerportion of the detaching container 20 is provided with discharge ports22 and 23, so in the fractionation step the suspension passed throughthe solid type screen 30 can be efficiently discharged out of thedetaching container 20. That is, since the discharge ports 22 and 23 canenhance the ratio of removing paper components within the detachingcontainer 20, the processing efficiency in the fractionation step can beenhanced.

Others

While the present invention has been described with reference to thepreferred embodiments thereof, the invention is not to be limited to thedetails given herein, but may be modified within the scope of theinvention hereinafter claimed.

For example, although the tag detachment-collection system of the firstembodiment is constructed so that undetached IC tags collected aresequentially processed, it may be constructed so that a plurality ofundetached IC tags are processed as one bundle. This renders it possibleto process a great quantity of IC tags efficiently.

In the first and second embodiments, the IC tag fractionated in thethird step (fractionation step) is dried and reused. However, thepresent invention may further include a step of inspecting whether pasteis completely removed from an IC tag collected. And an accepted productin which past (adhesive) is completely removed is dried and reused. Onthe other hand, a rejected product on which paste remains is againtransferred to the first step (preparation step). For instance, in thecase of the system shown in FIG. 2, a rejected product is thrown intothe swelling unit 10 along with an undetached IC tag 3, and theremaining paste (adhesive) is decomposed by an enzyme. Or the firstembodiment may further include a step of removing paste, by providing,on the downstream side of the fractionator 16 of the system shown inFIG. 2, a cleaner for cleaning an IC tag to remove paper and/or pasteadhering to the IC tag, and cleaning a rejected product with a cleaningliquid.

In the first and second embodiments, starch paste is used as anadhesive, so an enzyme is added to water to decompose this paste.However, an enzyme is dispensable. For example, in the case where starchpaste is used as an adhesive, it is soluble in water. Therefore, if amount is swollen with water, paste dissolves gradually in water and anIC tag is detached easily from the mount. However, in this case, it isdifficult to cleanly remove paste from an IC tag detached and collected,so the IC tag needs to be cleaned with a cleaning liquid.

The liquid for swelling a mount, used in the first step (preparationstep), is not limited to water. It may be determined, depending on thetype of adhesive used. For instance, water may be employed in the caseof a water soluble type adhesive that loses adhesive property whencontacted with water. An alkali solution may be employed in the case ofan alkali soluble type adhesive that loses adhesive property whencontacted with the alkali solution. An organic solvent may be used inthe case of an adhesive soluble in it.

In the second embodiment, the tag detachment-collection apparatus isprovided with the solid-liquid separator 80, and the tagdetachment-collection method performs a solid-liquid separation step.However, in the tag detachment-collection apparatus and method of thepresent invention, the solid-liquid separator and the solid-liquidseparation step are dispensable. Therefore, the solid-liquid separatorand the solid-liquid separation step may be omitted.

In the second embodiment, the preparation step is performed by thedetaching container 20, but it may be performed by another device. Thepreparation may be omitted. In such a case, an undetached IC tag 3 needsto be sufficiently immersed in water (or water containing an enzyme) inthe detachment step.

In the second embodiment, the agitator 40 of the tagdetachment-collection apparatus is provided with the impeller 41 forgenerating swirl flows within the detaching container 20. However, thepresent invention is not limited to the agitator 40, but may employ anytype of agitator if it can generate swirl flows within the detachingcontainer 20 in the directions of positive and reverse rotations.

In the third step (fractionation step) of the first embodiment, the ICtag 1 sinks to the bottom of the fractionation tank 17, and papercomponents in the suspension with bubbles adhering thereto float up tothe liquid surface of the fractionation tank 17. In this way, the IC tag1 is fractionated from paper components. However, the present inventionis not limited to the third step (fractionation step) of the firstembodiment. For example, if bubbles generated from the bottom portion ofthe fractionation tank 17 adhere to the IC tag 1, it becomes lighter inweight than water and floats up to the liquid surface of thefractionation tank 17. And if the IC tag 1 floating on the liquidsurface is taken out of the fractionation tank 17, the IC tag 1 can befractionated from paper components in the suspension.

In the second embodiment, it has been described that in thefractionation step, only paper components in a suspension float up tothe liquid surface of the detaching container 20. However, there arecases where bubbles adhere to the IC tag 1 and therefore the IC tagitself floats up to the liquid surface of the detaching container 20. Inthe second embodiment, the IC tag 1 and paper components can be reliablydetached by the solid type screen 30, so the presence or absence of thefloating of the IC tag 1 within the detaching container 20 has noinfluence on the detachment of the IC tag 1 from paper components.Similarly, even when paper components are dispersed in a suspension andonly the IC tag 1 floats up to the liquid surface of the detachingcontainer 20, the IC tag 1 and paper components can be reliably detachedand therefore the same advantage as the second embodiment can beobtained.

In the first and second embodiments, while the IC tag 1 adheres to theobverse side of the paper sheet 2, it may adhere to the reverse side. Inaddition, paper sheets may adhere to both sides of the IC tag 1,respectively. Furthermore, the IC tag 1 may be interposed between papersheets.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

According to the present invention, as described above, an IC tag can beefficiently detached and collected from a paper sheet to which the ICtag is attached. Therefore, in systems where an IC tag is attached to apaper sheet and used, the present invention can be widely applied whenreusing IC tags.

For example, in the fields of physical distribution, etc., there arecases where an IC tag is attached to a slip (paper sheet) and used. Insuch a case, the present invention is suitable for reusing IC tags andits utilization is extremely high.

1. A method of detaching and collecting an IC tag from a paper sheet towhich said IC tag is attached, comprising: a detachment step ofdetaching said IC tag from said paper sheet by applying external forceto an adhesive surface between said paper sheet and said IC tag; and afractionation step of fractionating the detached IC tag from othersubstances.
 2. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein, in saiddetachment step, said paper sheet is immersed in an immersion liquid andexternal force is applied to said adhesive surface by a flow of saidimmersion liquid.
 3. The method as set forth in claim 1, furthercomprising: a fragmentation step of immersing in an immersion liquidsaid paper sheet from which said IC tag was detached in said detachmentstep, and disintegrating or fragmenting said paper sheet into papercomponents by a flow of said immersion liquid and dispersing said papercomponents in said immersion liquid, said fragmentation step beingfollowed by said fractionation step.
 4. The method as set forth in claim3 wherein, in said fractionation step, a suspension in which said papercomponents are dispersed by the flow of said immersion liquid is passedthrough a screen.
 5. The method as set forth in claim 2, wherein apattern of said flow is changed.
 6. The method as set forth in claim 1,further comprising: a cleaning step of cleaning said IC tag detachedfrom said paper sheet to remove paper and/or an adhesive adhering tosaid IC tag.
 7. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:a preparation step of swelling said paper sheet by causing said papersheet to hold a swelling liquid in which paper and/or an adhesive issoluble, said preparation step being followed by said detachment step.8. The method as set forth in claim 6 wherein, in said preparation stepand/or said cleaning step, said adhesive adhering to said IC tag isdecomposed by an enzyme.
 9. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein,in said fractionation step, said IC tag is removed and collected fromthe suspension in which the paper components of said paper sheet aredispersed.
 10. The method as set forth in claim 9 wherein saidsuspension is put in a container, said IC tag in said suspension iscaused to sink to a bottom of said container, and by supplying a liquidflow containing small bubbles into said container, said bubbles arecaused to adhere to said paper components to float them up to a liquidsurface of said container.
 11. The method as set forth in claim 2wherein heat is applied to said immersion liquid and/or said swellingliquid.
 12. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein a plurality ofthe IC tags are successively processed as one bundle in each of saidsteps.
 13. The method as set forth in claim 4 wherein, after collectionof said IC tag in said fractionation step, a liquid is squeezed fromsaid suspension and a residual substance of said suspension from whichsaid liquid is squeezed is used as paper material.
 14. The method as setforth in claim 13 wherein the same liquid is employed in each of saidsteps, and after collection of said IC tag in said fractionation step, aliquid is squeezed from said suspension and the squeezed liquid isreused in each of said steps.